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    • Cancer Treatment

    Treating cancer is depended on the unique characteristics of each patient and their cancer. A cross-examination of the following factors will help determine the focus of your treatment:

    •  Your age
    •  Your overall health
    •  The type of cancer
    •  The stage of cancer

    The overall focus of a cancer treatment is either curative or palliative:

    Curative Treatments: These treatment strategies are intended to result in the cure of a cancer. In many cases, curative treatments will also cause a complete reversal of the side effects associated with the cancer.

    Palliative Treatments: Palliative, derived from Latin palliare, meaning “to cloak”, is a treatment strategy intended to reduce the severity of a cancer’s symptoms. Palliative treatments may suppress cancer development, but they are not intended to cure the disease.

    Types of Cancer Treatment

    Multiple treatment methods may be used to treat cancer. Upon diagnosis and staging of cancer, a treatment strategy is determined by a patient and their doctors.

    Depending on the characteristics of each cancer and the focus of treatment, the following modalities are used to treat cancer:

    BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT

    Bone marrow transplants (BMTs) have been used to treat patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphomas, and some solid tumors, including breast and ovarian cancer. They involve the transplantation of healthy blood stem cells from one person’s bone marrow to another’s.

    RADIOTHERAPY

    Radiotherapy is the use of ionizing radiation to kill and/or control the growth of malignant (cancerous) cells.

    …understand more about Treating Cancer with Radiotherapy

    CHEMOTHERAPY

    Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with chemicals called antineoplastic drugs, designed to kill malignant (cancerous) cells.

    …learn more about Treating Cancer with Chemotherapy

    HORMONAL THERAPY

    Hormonal therapy, or hormone therapy, is the use of hormones to treat cancer. A hormone is a substance produced by one tissue to influence the physiology of another tissue. Hormones stimulate some cancer cells, whereas they inhibit others. Depending on the characteristics unique to each cancer, hormones can be used to inhibit, or even kill cancer cells.

    …understanding Hormonal Therapy

    SURGERY

    Surgery is commonly used to diagnose and stage cancer, before the treatment is ever determined. Biopsies are among the most common diagnostic procedures for cancer. A biopsy involves the removal of cells or tissues to be microscopically analyzed in a laboratory.

    When cancer is used to treat cancer, it usually involves the partial or complete removal of a cancerous growth, or tumor. Adjacent tissues are also frequently removed to reduce the likelihood of cancer recurrence.

    Some examples of surgical cancer treatments include:

    Lumpectomy

    A lumpectomy is the most common form of breast cancer treatment. It involves the removal of a breast tumor and some surrounding tissues.

    …learn more about Treating Cancer with a Lumpectomy

    Mastectomy

    A mastectomy is the partial or complete removal of the breast. It differs from a lumpectomy in that a lumpectomy is designed to remove only tumor and minimal surrounding tissues, not the entire breast.

    Prostatectomy

    A prostatectomy is an operation intended to remove all or part of the prostate gland.

    ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CANCER TREATMENT

    Complimentary and alternative cancer treatments and therapies may help relieve cancer symptoms, but are rarely intended to be curative. They can also help you cope with the mental fatigue associated with many traditional cancer treatments. Many alternative treatments, however, are unfounded, unproven, and even dangerous. Safe alternative treatment modalities may include mediation, yoga, herbal supplements, aromatherapy, exercise routines, acupuncture, and massage.

    *Be sure to browse the directory for a list of Cancer Treatment Centers in your area!